ROLE OF ICT IN CLIMATE
CHANGE MITIGATION AND
ADAPTATION:
CASE OF RANET IN ZAMBIA
RANET BACK
GROUND
The RANET program began in Africa in 1998/9,
following the experience of Seasonal Climate
Outlook Forums. It was recognized that benefits
from advances in ICT science and applications
could only be realized if populations outside
central cities could be reached.
- Africa: 1998/99/00 -> present
- Pacific: 2003 -> present
- Asia: 2005
THE AIM OF THE PROJECT
The overall project goal is to respond to the
challenge of exchanging vital information
with the rural communities of Zambia by
introducing new information technologies
through the use of the WorldSpace
Foundation’s Digital Satellite Radio
Broadcasts, and solar/windup radios.
WHAT IS RANET?
The word RANET is an acronym
from the
words Radio and Internet
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The overall objective is to enhance the
living standards of rural communities
by way of increasing their access to vital
information on agriculture, education,
health, environment, weather, natural
calamities and other vital developmental
information needed in order to improve
their well-being and widen their food
security base.
WHY COMMUNITY RADIO?
The greatest limitations to the use of
information are: inaccessibility,
timeliness, poor reliability and
language of communication. Currently
there are facilities in Zambia for the
dissemination of information to the
people, however, these facilities are
only accessible within the urban and
peri-urban areas and not in remote rural
areas.
TARGET GROUPS
The RANET broadcasting project is
intended to reach rural communities in
isolated areas.
It is these areas that are poor and have
less/no access to information. In these
Areas Communities are required to involve
Women and the youth in the project..
WHY RANET COMMUNITY
RADIO?
RANET and its partners possess a
unique ability in content production,
dissemination as well as having a
local presence and the use of the
local language.
TECH TOOLS FOR SUCCESS:
Simplified System Diagram
3) At the top of nearly every hour the
uplink station sends the uploaded
information to the satellite for broadcast
over all of Africa.
2) The compiled information
is then sent via the internet to
a satellite uplink station
located in South Africa.
Some of this information is
automatically updated while
other
requires
manual
uploading.
4) The broadcast is then received by
digital radios that are hooked into
computers.
5) The broadcast can be used by
meteorological
services,
extension
agencies, or even local communities who
might use the content to improve their
own products or to translate information
into the local language and according to
local interest.
1) Global, regional, national, and local
information is gathered from various
producers and then blended into single
presentation that is compatible with
satellite broadcast.
RANET
And partners
6) Technologies, such as Mobile Phones
allow rural communities and
extension
Generate
content
agencies to send information requests,
provide feedback, and receive technical for
support.
dissemination
FIRST VOICE
and
RANET Uplink
content to
satellite
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
• The Implementation Team
The inaugural workshop of September
2000 put in place the Implementation
Team to spearhead the implementation
Of the project.
THE IMPLEMENTATION TEAM
Composition:
NAIS, PAM , DUNAVANT, EBS,
AFRICARE, ZMD, CDSW, PANOS,
ZMCOM, WVI, NMF, PALESA,
CHAZ,WFP
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
a) Sensitise Communities, form
Management Teams for stations,
Registeration under the Societies Act
& Business Names Act
b) Facilitate acquisition and installation
of equipment
c) Facilitate training for the
Management
Teams and Staff
Activities continued:
d) Provide:
1) timely agricultural and marketing
information.
2) Timely weather and climate information
to
rural communities.
3) Timely warnings about impending
natural disasters.
4) Forum for discussion of local issues so
that it would lead to the solution of
problems
Activities continued 5) Monitoring and providing impact
assessment on various natural
disasters.
6) Encouraging creativity as a way of
promoting self-reliance and
development.
7) Support for the health and education of
the communities.
Stations established by RANET are in red and partners in orange colour
IMPACT ASSESSMENT
A baseline survey conducted in 14
broadcasting areas by NAIS/JICA in
2006 revealed that, among other things :
1. Radio if used Effectively Can contribute
to increased knowledge, skills, technologies
and reaches areas not reached by
extension agents.
2. One does not need to be literate to
listen to the radio.
Equipment Distributed to Date 1.Wantok SBS-1 FM Broadcasting
stations – 4 and 1x 500wt Transmitter
2.Solar/windup Radio receivers: 3154;
3.Mobile Phones: 20
4.WorldSpace Digital Satellite
Receivers: 43;
5.Personal Computers: 1
6.Chatty Beetle Satellite system: 2
Core philosophies?
Ensuring sustainability and maintenance
of systems is a priority of all RANET
activities, therefore we encourage local
ownership
and
use
of
latest
communication systems for multiple
purposes such as education, health
campaigns, community discussions, etc.
Other ICT related adaptations
• Investment in technological innovations,
seed banks, etc.
• Allocation of adequate funding to the
National Meteorological Department to
procure measuring equipment and build
capacity in climate data collection, storage,
analysis and forecasting.
• Establishing more highly equipped
Meteorological Centers around the country,
with an emphasis on remote rural areas.
Cont…
• Dissemination of climate forecasts
in everyday language, not in
scientific terms.
• Establishing knowledge banks to
disseminate information and
provide training for action on
climate change.
Effects of Climate Change in
images
Cont…